CRITIC'S CUT: New Pilot-to-Series Pickups with the Most Potential

BWW TV World is thrilled to present our weekly Critic's Cut: slicing the best (and the worst) moments of pop culture into ten little digestible pieces.

Critic's Cut runs every Monday, presenting television's 'Best Of' moments, characters, shows, and more!

The upcoming broadcast season is undoubtedly going to be a good one. At least a whole lot better than the current slate of programming (most networks have ditched their 2012-2013 additions). NBC, CBS, Fox, and ABC have managed to enlist some major talent to headline their new shows for the 2013-2014 lineup, and are now in the process of announcing their pick-ups. It's a rarity for execs to land such names as Rebel Wilson, Gillian Anderson, Robin Williams, Allison Janney, Anna Faris, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Greg Kinnear at all - let alone all for new series in one year. And so, below are the top ten just-ordered network shows with the most potential!

For the just-released trailers for NBC upcoming lineup, click here. For Fox's, click here.

10) CRISIS - NBC
It's always refreshing to see an ensemble political thriller get picked up, as they tend to falter more often than thrive. But with Gillian Anderson a.k.a. 'Dana Scully' making her television return, there's reason to believe CRISIS can fit nicely into the latter group.
Cast: Gillian Anderson, Demot Mulroney, Max Martini, Rachael Taylor, James Lafferty
Logline: When Washington's most powerful players are pulled into an international conspiracy, an unlikely puppeteer will bring everyone from CEOs to The President of the United States to their knees by threatening the things they hold most dear.
Photo: NBC

9) ABOUT A BOY - NBC
Early reviews have been largely positive for the television adaptation of the film starring Hugh Grant - which leads many to believe NBC may have found its first dramatic winner in years.
Cast: David Walton, Minnie Driver, Benjamin Stockham
Logline: An adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel and the 2002 Hugh Grant feature film, it follows the relationship between a bachelor man-child (Bent's David Walton) and the young boy (1600 Penn's Benjamin Stockham) who moves in next door with his crazy, single mother (Minnie Driver).
Photo: NBC

8) THE GOLDBERGS - ABC
The 80s were fun. Right? There could be some real potential for some uncomfortably hilarious family moments with Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, and George Segal leading this comedy from Adam Goldberg.
Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, George Segal
Logline: A dysfunctional Wonder Years set in the simpler times of the 1980s, inspired by Adam F. Goldberg's childhood.
Photo: ABC

7) HOSTAGES - CBS
HOSTAGES may prove to be immensely thrilling, particularly with Toni Collette coming back to the airwaves in a starring role. Another political thriller, it may survive longer than CRISIS based upon star power alone.
Cast: Toni Collette, Dylan McDermott, Tate Donovan
Logline: Follows Ellen (Toni Collette), a Washington, D.C. surgeon who is thrown into a political conspiracy after being chosen to operate on the president of the United States. Her family is taken hostage, and it's her responsibility to save their lives.
Photo: Picture Perfect/Rex USA

6) SUPER FUN NIGHT - ABC
A weekly dose of Rebel Wilson? It'd be hard to brutally screw this up.
Cast: Rebel Wilson, Kelen Coleman, Kevin Bishop, Lauren Ash, Liza Lapira
Logline: Revolves around three nerdy female friends, including Pitch Perfect's Rebel Wilson, on a "funcomfortable" quest to have "super fun" every Friday night.
Photo: ABC

5) CRAZY ONES - CBS
CBS may have found one of its breakout new comedies with an insanely unlikey pairing: Buffy Summer and Mrs. Doubtfire. The father-daughter workplace comedy, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams, has immense promise - which is fortunate, as Gellar's latest series, RINGER, was dumped after one season by The CW.
Cast: Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Wolk, Hamish Linklater, Amanda Setton
Logline: A father-daughter (Robin Williams-Sarah Michelle Gellar) workplace comedy set in the world of advertising.
Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages

4) MOM - CBS
Two and a Half Men's Chuck Lorre may have just found his next Charlie Sheen in Anna Faris. Faris, often overbearing, has the potential to draw in a vast audience - and with Allison Janney at her side, MOM may prove to be a worthy addition to CBS' acclaimed comedy lineup.
Cast: Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Nate Corddry, Matt Jones
Logline: A newly sober single mom tries to pull her life together in Napa Valley.
Photo: Sarah DeBoer/Retna Ltd.

3) THE BLACKLIST - NBC
NBC proclaims the James Spader spy thriller, with touches of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, was one of the highest-rated pilots in last few decades at the presentation. The recent trailer proves those early screeners may be right - and that NBC may not be the butt of the broadcast jokes next season.
Cast: James Spader, Megan Boone, Ryan Eggold
Logline: The world's most wanted criminal mysteriously turns himself in and offers to give up everyone he has ever worked with. His only condition is he will only work with a newly minted FBI agent (Megan Boone) with whom he seemingly has no connection.
Photo: NBC

2) RAKE - FOX
FOX managed to enlist A-lister Kevin Bacon for The Following this year. For next season, it's Greg Kinnear in RAKE, billed as a HOUSE-esque legal drama. It's almost guaranteed to be a massive, massive hit for the network.
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Miranda Otto, John Ortiz, Necar Zadegan, Bojana Novakovic, Tara Summers
Logline: Greg Kinnear makes his broadcast TV series debut as a brilliant but self-destructive criminal defense lawyer named Keegan Joye in a drama based on the Australian series of the same name.
Photo: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

1) MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - ABC
Joss Whedon, Marvel, and television. It's almost too good to be true. Whedon's a proven master of ensemble action-thriller-offbeat-comedies (BUFFY, FIREFLY, DOLLHOUSE, ANGEL, seriously, it goes on and on), and tackled THE AVENGERS in 2012. If anyone can make this series not only work, but become a cult classic for decades to come, it's Joss.
Cast: Ming-Na, Clark Gregg, Brett Dalton, Elizabeth Henstridge, Ian De Caestecker, Chloe Bennet
Logline: Based on Marvel Comics' secret intelligence organization that has appeared in countless titles including Iron Man, Captain America and The Ultimates since being introduced in the 1960s. The military law-enforcement agency's moniker stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate, which also has evolved over time in the comics.
Photo: ABC

Trio Image: Matt Baron/BEImages - Patrick Ecclesine/FOX - Gregory Pace/BEImages

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